ATLANTA — President Trump plans to attend the national championship game Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, news that brought mixed reactions from those vying for a ring.

Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith said, “That’s great and all, but I’m not focused on politics.” Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams claimed Trump will just be “another person in the crowd.” Alabama coach Nick Saban, citing his respect for the office, said it would be an honor to have the president attend, regardless of who occupied the position. Georgia coach Kirby Smart termed a potential Trump appearance “a political event,” and therefore, something he’s not concerned about.

The 45th president of the United States carried Alabama and Georgia in his 2016 win, but it was likely not due to a surge of Trump votes from Tide and Bulldogs football players. Multiple Alabama and Georgia players who spoke with USA TODAY Sports at Media Day on Saturday said though eligible, they chose to not vote in the 2016 election. In fact, they prefer to not even discuss politics in the locker room.

“We value the friendships and closeness built through football a lot, and I think politics tends to be pretty divisive,” Williams said. A California native, Williams chose not to vote in 2016 — he is not registered in Alabama, but felt that regardless of location, he didn’t know enough about the candidates or issues.

“I feel like I have to be really educated to have an opinion,” Williams said. “I’ve been so focused on football and school — that’s pretty much a full-time job, plus overtime.”

Other players cited an overall lack of interest and knowledge about what’s going on in D.C.

“I’m not really into politics at all,” said Georgia offensive lineman Pat Allen, who’s from Reisterstown, Md. “When you look at it, there’s a lot of things going on: some stuff makes sense and some doesn’t, so why even focus on it?” Allen, who told USA TODAY Sports he is double majoring in Consumer Economics and International Affairs, did not vote in the 2016 election.

And then there’s that pesky task of trying to defeat an SEC foe Monday night for a national championship. A common refrain from players Saturday: Who has time to think about the President of the United States when we’ve gotta focus on slowing down Nick Chubb/Sony Michel/Jalen Hurts?

President Trump will attend the College Football Playoff championship game.(Photo: Gregg Pachkowski, Pensacola News Journal-USA TODAY)

Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter, a junior from Tucker, Ga., said that last Nov. 8, 2016, Smart preached the importance of voting, said he had already voted himself and “set up (practice) so that everyone had the ability to go vote if they wanted.”

“I think that was really good for the team,” said Ledbetter, who did not vote in 2016 because of “family stuff” he had to deal with that day. “A lot of guys, where they come from, they’ve never really felt like it mattered. (Smart) explained to us, ‘You always have a voice, and I want you to exercise that right.’ ”

Should they win a title Monday night, players also were mixed about if they’d visit the White House. Elliot Baker, an Alabama offensive lineman from San Francisco said he would “of course” want to visit D.C. if given the opportunity, because it would “be a cool experience.” (Baker participated in the 2016 election but declined to say who he voted for.) Allen said he’s been to D.C. quite a few times, so he doesn’t feel the need to go again. With a wry smile, Williams pointed out it wouldn’t matter if he or his Tide teammates wanted to go to D.C. — that decision is left up to coach Nick Saban, and it’s all about what fits in the Tide’s schedule.

Ben Cleveland, a Georgia offensive lineman from Toccoa, Ga., who also declined to share his 2016 vote, repeatedly stressed that the Bulldogs are “a football organization, not a political organization” and therefore, have no political agenda. But visiting the White House is tradition, he said, so yes, he’d be up for a visit.

Ledbetter, the Georgia defensive end, has been to the White House before: As an eighth grader he attended a student diversity and leadership conference in D.C., touring multiple historical sites. That was back when President George W. Bush was in office.

“I’d most definitely go back,” Ledbetter said. “That’s a great honor, to win a national championship, see the White House, meet the president and see all the history.

“Regardless of who’s there, it’s a huge moment for this whole team and this whole organization.”

College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said the CFP, Atlanta Falcons and Mercedes-Benz stadium building staff have been in close contact with a logistics team at the White House to prepare for the President’s visit.

Hancock, who helped run the Final Four for 16 years, has been through this before. He was the director of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in 1994, when then-President Bill Clinton attended games in Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte. (Arkansas won the ’94 national title; Clinton served as governor of Arkansas from 1983-92.) Though it’s commonplace at any major event, fans who attended the ’94 Final Four didn’t have to pass through magnetometers or metal detectors. The Final Four committed installed them for the ’94 event, which led to long delays, and very unhappy fans.

Hancock said it was common for the Final Four committee to prepare for a presidential visit, but then hear on Friday — the men’s basketball national championship is typically played Monday nights — that the president wouldn’t be coming. In regard to Trump, though, Hancock said, “I think this one’s real.”